


She was a Punk… She did Ballet

by Jeep_Girl



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffyfest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeep_Girl/pseuds/Jeep_Girl
Summary: Highschool Lena and Kara... Kara, the preppy ballerina has been asked to tutor a student from another math class, which is how she meets aspiring punk rocker Lena Luthor.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 82
Kudos: 258





	1. Skater Girl

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my drafts for a while so I figured I should go ahead an post it... This is my first attempt at writing high school Kara and Lena...

“Babe, wait up!” Kara hears Mike exclaims, much to her chagrin. She sighs, not turning around though she does stop walking in the hallway, just outside her calculate class.

“Hey, can we talk about last night?” Mike asks her as he finally catches up to her. Kara looks at Mike, who is only two inches taller than herself. Kara has always been tall and muscular, which has benefited her in ballet but has made dating boys somewhat… difficult. Most boys found Kara’s height intimidating. Not to mention, Kara was in all advanced classes. So needless to say, between her physical built and her brains, most boys simply avoided her. Mike was one of the few boys that she really knew in her school that was actually taller than her and not intimidated by her physique or her brains. They had been dating for two years… until last night when Kara ended things. Mike, who found this all very suddenly and surprising, did not take it well at all.

Kara looked Mike in the eye. “Mike, I said all I had to say last night. We are done. I have to focus on my ballet so I can get a college scholarship. I’m sorry. End of discussion.” Kara knows she isn’t being completely honest with Mike. But the other reason for ending things isn’t for him to know. It’s for her and only her. She knows it’s something she has to figure out for herself. And she certainly can’t do it when she is in a relationship with a guy.

Mike’s shoulders slump with Kara’s reiteration of their conversation from last night. “I guess… I just wanted to make sure you were sure about this…” he trails off, looking down at the floor. Kara gives him a stern “I am sure. And I’m sorry, but I have to get to class,” before excusing herself and walking into the classroom. She doesn’t turn around to see Mike walk away with his head down.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of her calculus class, Kara’s teacher asks to speak with her, causing her anxiety to spike for a brief moment as she wonders what she could have done to be in trouble. Her teacher, seeing the slight fear in her eyes, calms her by saying “don’t worry, you aren’t in trouble Kara.” Kara breathes a visibly sigh of relief. “Kara, I have a student in my other section of calculus that I would like for you to tutor.” Kara, who has never tutored a student before, seems surprised at this request. “Why me?” She blurts outs, without thinking. “It’s just that… I’ve never tutored anyone before… and you know I have a busy schedule with ballet and everything…” Kara trails off. Her teacher chuckles, causing Kara to stop talking. “Look, Kara, you are one of the top students in this school. But it isn’t just about that. Tutoring is about connecting with the person and figuring out what’s blocking them from learning the material and helping them to connect to it in some way. You are one of the few students I know, who is able to connect with just about anyone she meets. Therefore, I think you will be the perfect person for the job.” Kara smiles and blushes at the compliment. It’s true, she has always found it rather easy to make friends, though truth be told she doesn’t consider herself to have many close friends, especially since her sister went off to college. Either way, she is sure she can help this person. “Ok… when do I start?”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara agreed to start tutoring every day after school for one hour. This would push her ballet practice back by 30 minutes and mean that she would have to talk to her boss at work about going to work thirty minutes later than originally planned. But she is sure her boss at the local pizza joint she works at will be understanding about this. She has been working there for a year now and her manager seems to like her well enough.

As planned, Kara walks into the classroom, but she is surprised to find it empty. She checks the time and sees that she is five minutes early. She pulls out her textbook and notebook, setting them down and starts stretching and doing some pliés while looking out the window. She was engrossed in her own thoughts of the new dance she was developing that she didn’t hear the footsteps from the heavy boots that stopped in the doorway from the girl she was set to tutor. The girl stopped and stared at Kara for a moment, intrigued.

“What are you doing?” Kara suddenly hears, causing her to whip around quickly. She finds the girl standing in the doorway still. Kara herself likes to dress in bright colored cardigans, quite preppy if she had to categorize it. The girl in front of her is wearing combat boots, cargo pants, and a black shirt, with make up to match. Kara could only describe her look as punk/goth. She was carrying a guitar case with her.

“Um… just stretching. Are you Lena?” Kara asks, trying to recover. Lena nods, walking the rest of the way into the classroom, setting the case down. “So, you’re Kara, the math whiz.” Lena says it as a statement, not a question, causing Kara to blush. “Um, I’m not sure I’m a whiz. I study a lot.” Kara explains. Lena raises an eyebrow at Kara, eyeing her suspiciously. Kara thinks Lena wants to ask more, but she must decide against it because she suddenly says, “Well, can we get started? I have places to be.” Kara, slightly taken aback by Lena’s rudeness, simply nods, sitting down to open her book to start going over the lesson from the day. Lena doesn’t really say much throughout the hour and in fact, Kara isn’t sure Lena is paying attention. Towards the end of the hour, Kara asks Lena if she has any questions about what they talked about. Lena shakes her head no. Kara attempts to make small talk as they pack up after that, but Lena doesn’t really give her much in response. Kara finds the entire interaction rather frustrating.

“Well, Lena, it was good to meet you. And I hope I can be helpful these next few weeks.”

“Uh huh.”

“Have you always gone to school here? It’s just, I don’t think we have ever had any classes together. I know it’s a big school, but still.”

“I started here last year.”

“I gotcha. Well, I hope you like it here. I have lived here since I was 12 when I was adopted. I like it here.”

“I have to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow Kara.”

And this is how it goes for the first week of tutoring. Kara ends each session feeling frustrated. She isn’t reaching Lena and she knows it. Lena shows up but isn’t engaging. Kara decides to go out on a limb after the first week. As they are packing up on fifth day, she says, “Lena, let me give you my phone number, in case you have any questions while doing homework or studying for tests or anything like that.” Kara writers her number down on the scratch paper she was using to write out examples, handing it to Lena.

Lena looks at her, surprise and suspicion on her face. Kara simply smiles genuinely before turning back to finish packing up. “I’ll see you next week, Lena.” And with that, Kara walks out, leaving a still shocked Lena sitting in the classroom.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lena makes it a full 3 hours before her curiosity gets the better of her and she texts Kara Danvers. She knows she only made it that long because she was busy for most of it practicing with her band. As soon as they take a break for food, she pulls her phone out and sends the message. Andrea and Sam leave to go pick up food. Lena tells them she is going to go for a walk.

_Lena: It’s Lena. Why are you being so nice to me?_

Lena takes a walk down the street from their practice space, an empty building her family owns but hasn’t done anything with in years. She heads down the street toward the center of town where there are coffeeshops, restaurants, and stores. Lena checks her phone every few minutes as she walks down the street, huffing or sighing because she never gets a reply. After a half hour, she makes her way back to the building to find Andrea and Sam also returning, this time with pizza in tow.

“Lena, didn’t you say that preppy ballerina is your math tutor?” Sam taunts her. Lena rolls her eyes. “Yeah… why?” Andrea and Sam just laugh. “Oh… because she is apparently the one who just made our pizza.” This surprises Lena. She isn’t sure why. As she takes a slice of pizza to eat, she reflects on this surprise and realizes that she had just assumed Kara was another preppy, perfectionistic, rich, wannabe. Granted, Lena’s family was very rich. But she wasn’t allowed to talk about that. They made it clear that if she wasn’t going to “keep up appearances” by going to boarding school and dressing the way they wanted her to, doing the activities they wanted her to, dating who they wanted her to date… that she was supposed to distance herself from the Luthor legacy in her home city. That’s how she ended up here in the first place. Luckily, she didn’t have to come alone. Her bandmates came with her. And so, Andrea and Sam know Lena’s history. But no one else here does. And she plans to keep it that way.

It’s another hour before Kara finally responds to her text.

_Kara: Hi Lena, it’s Kara! (duh!). I’m sorry it took so long for me to respond. I am at work and just now got a break. So, you may not know me very well (yet), but something I can tell you about me is that… I’m generally a nice person. I figure there is enough negativity in the world that I don’t need to add more to it and that maybe instead, I can make someone’s day by being nice toward them. I hope I made your day. :)_

Kara stares at the text she just sent and how she ended it in particular. Is that flirting? She isn’t sure. Does she want it to be? She isn’t sure about that either. She knows nothing about Lena. She sighs, putting her phone down and going back to eating her dinner. She is surprised how quickly she gets a response.

_Lena: You intrigue me Kara Danvers._

Kara chuckles at this message. But then starts to panic at the very next message that comes through before she can send a response.

_Lena: Would you like to grab lunch tomorrow?_

Lena smirks as she sends the second message. She isn’t sure about Kara’s dating preferences, so she left the question to be open to interpretation. But she has to admit, Kara is quite attractive, hardworking, and obviously smarter than she gives herself credit for. Lena isn’t sure why, but she is the first person she has met since moving here that she wants to get to know more.

Kara takes a visible gulp as she stares at her phone, trying to figure out how to respond to this message. What does Lena mean? Should she just ask? _Ok Kara, what would you do if this was a guy? You would ask. Because you are assertive. So just ask. Don’t let this girl intimidate you!_ Upon finishing the pep-talk for herself, Kara sends a message back to Lena.

_Kara: Why Lena Luthor, are you asking me on a date? ;)_

Kara doesn’t have to wait long at all for a response. She smiles broadly at her phone upon seeing it.

_Lena: Yes. I’ll pick you up at noon._

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lena pulls up to the address Kara had sent her this morning. She is surprised to see it isn’t a house but a dance studio. Sam wasn’t kidding about her being a ballerina, she thinks chuckling to herself, thinking about the first day they met.

Lena is extra early, so she decides to wander inside. She finds Kara not practicing though, but teaching a group of young girls, who look to be about 6 years old, how to do basic ballerina dance moves. Lena stares baffled again by this person. Just how good can a person be, she thinks as she watches Kara who is all smiles as she wrangles the young children. Seeing Kara smile so brightly, Lena finds herself smiling too.

As the kids and parents are exiting the dance floor, Lena takes the opportunity to enter the studio, strutting up to Kara who is packing up her bag.

“Well aren’t you just full of surprises,” Lena says, smirking as Kara looks up at her, surprised to see Lena inside. “I’m an open book, actually,” Kara retorts with a half grin as she takes in Lena, who is wearing jeans with a skintight t-shirt and leather jacket, donning converse shoes. She zips up her bag and says, “I just need to change really quick, and then I’ll be ready for lunch.” Kara gives Lena a wink before darting into the bathroom. Kara brought with her a blue dress and a light pink cardigan that she quickly slips into. She walks out of the bathroom, bag in tow, “Ok, ready to go!” She exclaims, smiling. Lena openly stares at Kara for a moment, taking her in, before remembering to respond. “Great, let’s go.”

The two leave the studio as Kara asks where they are going for lunch. “You’ll see when we get there,” is the only response Lena gives her. Kara tries to pout at her for more information, but Lena simply laughs at her and turns up the music. Kara does manage to convince Lena to let her play DJ since she won’t tell her where they are going. Lena would almost instantly regret it given Kara’s choice in music, except that Kara spends the entire ride serenading her. And well, Lena can’t help but smile at how sunny and happy this woman is. She doesn’t understand it. But she loves it.

It’s a half hour later that they pull up to a small clearing overlooking the town. Kara looks at Lena suspiciously, “Lena Luthor, did you bring me up here to kill me?” She asks playfully. Without missing a beat, Lena responds with “Well, I am a Luthor after all.” Kara glances at her curiously but doesn’t probe that particular statement in that moment, making a mental note to unpack that box later if things go well.

Lena hops out of the car and walks to the trunk, opening it and pulling out a blanket and a large basket full of food with some plates, silverware, and napkins. She leads Kara up near to the ledge, setting the blanket down and inviting Kara to sit on it with her as she starts to prepare a plate for each of them. As the two eat lunch, they mostly make small talk about school and friends. Kara talks about her classes, her training for ballet, teaching the children on the weekends, and some other extracurricular activities she is engaged in. Lena opens up a little bit, telling Kara about the band, Andrea and Sam, and she even mentions that she was also adopted.

It’s towards the end of dessert that Kara finally asks a question that has been bothering her since yesterday. “How did you know?” Lena arches her eyebrow, questioning what Kara is talking about. Kara blushes. “I mean… about me… when you asked me on a date. How did you know I liked girls? I mean… I had dated Mike for so long…” Kara trails off realizing that talking about your ex on date one was a big no no.

Lena chuckles a little. “Well, to be honest, I didn’t. I mean, I thought maybe you did, because we had shared some… lingering looks… and well, that was happening despite the fact that I was being a total bitch those first few days of tutoring.” Both girls laugh at Lena’s admittance of her behavior. “So, that is why I asked it the way I did. I figured it was just lunch as friends, that’d be cool too.” Kara smiles and nods, appreciating Lena’s honestly. She takes a deep breath, figuring she should probably also be just as honest. “Well, for the sake of honesty. I should probably tell you that this would technically be the first time I am on a date with a girl.” Lena perks up, listening intently, waiting for Kara to continue. “I mean, I’ve known for a while now… I just… I guess that is the real big reason I broke up with Mike. I mean, there were other reasons too, don’t get me wrong… but a major reason was I wanted to be free to… do this,” Kara finishes, gesturing with her hands at Lena and the picnic they are currently on.

“Well, Kara Danvers, how’s it going so far?” Lena asks, curiously. Kara laughs, laying back on the blanket to look up at the sky. “One of the best dates I’ve ever been on,” she says contemplatively. She doesn’t see Lena’s beaming smile, but she hears her ask “May I join you?” Kara nods, and then finds Lena laying down beside her, joining her in looking up at the sky, watching the clouds pass by overhead. “So, there is something I should probably tell you, Kara Danvers.”

Kara rolls onto her side and looks down at Lena, intrigued. “Do tell.”

“I’m not flunking math because I don’t know how to do it.” Kara stares down at her in disbelief. “What I mean is… I might be flunking because I’ve been too busy with Sam and Andrea working on some new music that I didn’t turn in several homework assignments. And so the teacher thinks I’m struggling with the material.”

“Lena Luthor. You are smarter than I am. Why in the world am I tutoring you?!” Lena can’t help but laugh at Kara’s feigned indignation. “I just thought you should know, so you don’t feel bad about it.” Kara lays back down beside her, a smile on her face.

The two continue talking about their lives, sharing things about their past, plans for the future, even some of their own fears of failure. Both of them notice just how natural it feels talking to each other, despite having only just met a week ago. In fact, a couple of hours fly by before either of them notices. When Kara does finally check the time, she jumps up.

“Crap, Lena, we have to go. I’m supposed to be at work in 30 minutes!” Kara says this in a huff. Lena looks up at her disappointed. “Oh ok, sorry Kara, I guess we lost track of time.” Lena gets up and starts packing everything up. The two hurry back to the car and Lena kicks the car into gear to get them back into town and get Kara to work.

Lena might have sped a tiny bit the entire way back to ensure Kara would make it to work on time. They pull up to the pizza place with two minutes to spare.

“Lena, I had a great time,” Kara says as they pull up. “Me too,” Lena responds, unsure of her next move. The rush to get Kara to work completely throwing off her plans and her game, apparently. Kara looks at her as she unbuckles her seatbelt, but then looks away and hops out of the car. Lena is watching Kara and just as she is about to open the door and head inside, she sees Kara pause, turn around, check the street for cars, and then sprint back to the car. Lena thinks maybe she forgot her phone or something in the car. Lena rolls down her window in anticipation.

“Did you leave something in my car?” Lena asks as Kara makes it across the street. Kara, however, has a big goofy grin on her face as she says “Yes, you, silly.” And she leans her head down, reaching inside the car, giving Lena a kiss on the lips. It’s everything Lena would have expected from Kara Danvers and nothing at the same time. It’s sweet and soft, but also purposeful. When Lena opens her eyes again, Kara’s face is only inches from hers. Both of them smiling widely. “I had a wonderful time. Call me later?” Kara says it all assertively. Lena nods and affirms, “I’ll call you after your shift darling.”


	2. Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after Lena and Kara start dating, things get a little complicated as their futures start approaching...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all asked for more... so here it is... Yes it is based on another Avril song hahaha.

“Hey Darling,” Lena says, greeting Kara in the morning as she picks her up for school. They have been dating for a few months now. It was quite a shock around school, especially considering it happened so quickly after Mike. But Kara knows. She had known for several weeks before she officially ended it with Mike that things were over between them. She had accepted it long before she acted. For Kara, falling for Lena was completely separate. And oh, so different than how things evolved with Mike. Things with Lena felt more comfortable, more natural, and she was just so much more relaxed with her. So, despite the rumors and backtalk that occurred those first few weeks when word spread around the school, Kara held her head high. She wasn’t going to let the haters get to her. Not when she was busy being wooed by Lena Luthor.

They were an odd pairing to outsiders, considering their difference in attire and their day-to-day activities. Besides both of them being very smart and being in many advanced placement classes, they didn’t appear to have much in common. Kara was class VP and was continuing with her ballet as intensely as ever, trying to obtain a scholarship for college. When she wasn’t doing ballet, Kara was working at the local pizza place, earning some spending money while trying to save up money for her future. Meanwhile, Lena spent every waking moment she wasn’t at school practicing with her band. They even started booking local gigs on the weekends.

Despite her busy schedule, Kara made it to all of Lena’s gigs. And of course, Lena made it to all of Kara’s ballet performances. Lena became a frequent visitor to the Danvers’ household, often joining them for dinner on the weekends. Kara learned that Lena, despite her age, was staying at her family’s local estate by herself. Technically there were a couple people who worked on the property, but Lena rarely interacted with them and they didn’t seem interested in even trying to dictate or control Lena’s behavior.

Overall, the past three months had been quite wonderful for Lena and Kara, as they found their own routines that integrated each other into their lives.

School had just returned from the holiday break when things became a little… complicated for the two young women. Kara’s rehearsal had picked up in intensity, as she had an audition coming up, which might secure her a full or partial ride to the same college that her sister Alex was currently attending. To say that Kara is nervous, would be an understatement.

The week of the audition approached, and with it, Kara’s anxiety skyrocketed. Lena tried her best to comfort Kara, to say the right thing, but nothing ever seemed quite right. Lena sighed when she was alone, frustrated with herself and with Kara. Even so, she never let it show around Kara, driven to continue to be supportive of Kara, no matter what.

She was there, the day of the audition, and she saw Kara light up the stage with her presence. Because to Lena, Kara was like a small, warm, sun. And she was even more so that way when she was dancing. Unsurprising to Lena, Kara performed her routine perfectly.

She snuck backstage to congratulate her girlfriend, embracing her in a giant, warm hug. “You were amazing Kara. There is no way they won’t take you.” Kara looks back at her sheepishly. “Thank you for coming today. And for everything you’ve been doing these past few weeks. I know I’ve been a bit… unbearable.”

Lena smiles at Kara before she pulls her in for a quick, chaste kiss. “I can always bear you, Darling.”

“Well, I am scheduled to meet with the committee in a few minutes, wait for me?” Kara asks. Lena frowns. “I actually have to run if I am going to make it to rehearsal close to on time. Sam and Andrea will kill me if I miss practice again.” Kara smiles despite her disappointment. “Ok, I’ll call you later and let you know how it goes.”

“Sounds wonderful.” With another kiss, Lena bids Kara goodbye and sneaks off the stage. Kara takes a few deep breaths to steady herself before she heads to her own meeting.

Lena finishes up practice a few hours later. She checks her phone and frowns, surprised to see that Kara hasn’t called yet. She dials Kara’s number as she walks to her car.

It rings and rings until it goes to voicemail. “Weird…”

Lena sends a quick text.

_Lena: Hey Darling! Just checking in to see how the meeting went. I’m finished with practice. Call me and we can meet up for a late dinner! <3_

Lena gets in her car and decides to go for a drive as she waits for Kara to return her call or text. She ends up driving up to the spot of their first date and pulls the car up to the edge of the cliff, taking in the city below. She puts the top down on her convertible and lays the seat back so she can stare at the stars above.

Lena is awoken sometime later, apparently, she had fallen asleep while looking up into the night sky. Her phone woke her up. She snags it out of the passenger seat to see a text from Kara.

_Kara: LENA LENA LENA! The meeting went so well they wanted me to meet some of the other team members who were here to watch me. We ended up going out for food and chatting for a few hours after that. It is late otherwise I would have called. I’ll talk to you tomorrow! <3_

Lena stares at the text for a moment before glancing at the clock and realizing it is almost midnight. Kara Danvers doesn’t stay out that late with Lena. Apparently, exceptions are made for future ballerina teammates.

Lena drives the rest of the way home and goes to bed without answering the message.

The next morning, Lena wakes up a little less angry and finally responds to the text.

_Lena: That’s wonderful news Darling. I am so happy for you. I’ll see you shortly!_

She tosses her phone down and proceeds to get ready for the day. She doesn’t see the text response until she is sitting down in her car, about to head to pick up Kara.

_Kara: Actually, the team wanted to take me into National City and show me around today. Eliza said I could go and well, we actually left about half an hour ago. I should be back late tonight. I’ll call you when I’m almost home. I miss you! <3_

Lena stares at the message, her frustration and anger bubbling back to the surface. She tries to remind herself that this is what Kara has been working towards most of her life. She isn’t as lucky as Lena, who doesn’t have to worry about money, ever.

_Lena: So happy for you. I miss you too. <3_

Going to school without sunny Kara Danvers around wasn’t the kind of day Lena had planned. But she managed to get through her morning classes before deciding to bail on school, sneaking out at lunch time and going for a drive. She again finds herself at the overlook of the city. Her memories flooding her mind of all the times her and Kara spent up there together, wrapped up in each other while the rest of the world was so far away. Apparently, the rest of the world has finally caught up to them.

Lena makes her way back into town to practice with Andrea and Sam, though they can both tell that something is bothering Lena. Each of them tries to get Lena to open up, but she insists that she is fine. So instead, they continue to practice their new set. It’s somewhat a reprieve for Lena, as it gives her something to focus on besides Kara.

After Andrea and Sam take off for the evening, Lena checks her phone once and frowns when she sees no messages or calls from Kara. She stays in the studio until close to midnight, practicing by herself, until she is almost to exhausted to drive herself home. She falls into her bed, clothes fully on, when she finally makes it home.

She still had no messages or calls from Kara.

When Lena wakes up the next day, she is apprehensive to even look at her phone, afraid that she will be thoroughly disappointed. So instead of even looking at it, she gets up and gets herself ready for the day. Once she has some fresh clothes on, she feels brave enough to look at her phone.

_Kara: LEE I AM SO SORRY. I ended up staying the night in National City with Alex! It was amazing to see her and I was just so excited that I lost track of time. The girls are showing me around more of campus today, but I should be home tonight for dinner. Meet me for pizza?_

Lena smiles and feels the hope returning as she sees Kara asking her to meet for dinner tonight.

_Lena: I’d love to meet you for dinner. 7pm?_

_Kara: It’s a date! ;)_

Lena spends her day playing catch up on the classes she missed the day before. Afterward, she rushes off to her last practice before their next gig on the following evening. She insists that they wrap up a little early so she can make it to dinner on time.

Lena arrives ten minutes early. She preemptively orders their drinks, knowing Kara’s preference for noncaffeine infused drinks after 3pm. She also orders them Kara’s favorite appetizer.

The food comes out a few minutes after seven. Lena doesn’t touch it though, as she is waiting on Kara to eat. So, when 7:30 rolls around, Lena becomes even more devastated by the entire thing. She manages to wait another fifteen minutes before she has to leave. Otherwise, someone might see her crying and she couldn’t have that.

Lena makes it to her car before she breaks down crying. She rips out of the parking spot, once again making her way to their spot. As she pulls up to the spot thirty minutes later, her phone rings. She hesitates a moment before answering.

“Hello”

“Lena, hey! I’m so sorry. Alex wanted to show me around National City this afternoon and well, one thing led to another and before I realized it, it was already super late.”

Lena doesn’t respond, feeling like she doesn’t have the energy or emotional capacity to be understanding in that moment. The hurt entire too raw for her.

“Lee?”

“Yeah?”

“Are… are we ok?”

“I don’t know.”

“I am coming back first thing tomorrow, I promise. You have your gig tomorrow, right? I have never missed one yet!” Kara sounds so chipper, so sure. But Lena knows just how many things in the past few days that Kara has missed or canceled. It’s too many for her to expect Kara to be there.

“Ok Kara. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night then.”

She hangs up before Kara can respond and then turns her phone off, not willing to talk to anyone else that night. Instead, Lena takes her guitar out of the backseat of her car and decides to put her feelings into music instead. Music has always been a way for Lena to channel her emotions. Music has often helped her process and understand how she is feeling when she wasn’t sure. Tonight, it was helping her again, by helping her understand what is happening with her relationship, that just a few days ago, made her the happiest she has ever been.

Lena spends the next day distracting herself by meeting up with Andrea and Sam for a last-minute practice and then helping them lug all their equipment to the bar they are performing at. Lena hasn’t turned her phone on yet, too afraid of what she will find and the resulting emotional turmoil it will cause her.

As their performance time nears, Lena feels her normal pre-performance jitters settle in like they always do. Sam puts a hand on her shoulder and gives her a gentle squeeze. Lena looks at her with a sad smile on her face. She has yet to see Kara come into the bar. It’s one of their usual spots to perform around town now. It’s owned by Alex’s ex-girlfriend Maggie. So, despite being slightly underage for a bar, she lets Kara in to watch Lena perform. Maggie knows as well as Lena does that Kara wouldn’t drink, even given the opportunity.

“She will be here,” Sam says softly. Lena tries to give her a better smile but fails. “Let’s just do this.” And with that, the three friends take the stage. Lena takes a few deep breaths to help herself get into the zone before launching into their first song – skater girl.

Their performance is on point that evening, with Lena giving it all she has. Lena always finds herself in such a different mental space when she is singing and playing guitar. It is the reason she wanted to make the band in the first place – she always had a deep love for music. There was something about it that she rarely found elsewhere.

Until Kara. Kara provided Lena with a mental reprieve much like music. Except, with Kara, there was a reciprocal nature about it all. They easily found a balance with each other, something Lena has always struggled to do with other people. Kara and Lena had an easy give and take. The fact that she had Sam and Andrea as friends was a miracle in and of itself to Lena. So, finding Kara was like a breath of fresh air for her. Something she didn’t ever expect to find.

Which is why, after finishing their set, Lena feels completely broken when she scans the local bar and doesn’t spot Kara. Kara, the consistent sun, who always sits in the same place by the bar when she watches Lena, is no where to be found. Lena scans the crowd several times over just to be sure. Her eyes fill with tears as Sam once again puts her hand on Lena’s shoulder, squeezing it so she can help guide Lena off the stage.

As they make their way to the back alleyway to load up their gear, Lena is particularly quiet. Meanwhile, Andrea is raving about their performance and how she thinks they are finally finding their ‘unique sound.’ Sam responds to Andrea while keeping a careful eye on Lena, who takes a particularly long time loading up just her guitar. Sam can tell she is holding back her tears. She knows how much Lena hates crying in front of others, viewing it as a sign of weakness despite how much Sam has reassured her otherwise.

As the three friends finish loading up their belongings, Lena gets into the driver’s side while Sam gets in the passenger side and Andrea hops in the back. Lena sighs as she starts to pull out of the alleyway. 

“Lena!” comes a loud shout from the backdoor of the bar. She slowly looks into the rearview mirror to see Kara standing there, clearly flustered and out of breath. “We can wait,” Sam whispers.

Lena doesn’t respond. She simply drives away, leaving Kara standing in the doorway, an indiscernible look on her face.

Lena doesn’t turn her phone back on that night. She almost makes it home before the tears finally fall. She lays on top of her bedsheets, fully clothed, curled up in a ball, crying until she finally drifted off to sleep in the early morning hours.

Lena is awoken by a pounding on her door. She grabs a pillow and holds it over her head, trying to block out the knocking sound. But it is loud and insistent. Lena can tell that it is pretty early, as the sun is barely peeking into her window. Frustrated by being woken up so early, she finally gets up and rips open her bedroom door, stomping down the stairs as she goes towards the front door. She pulls open the door before she has a moment to think about who might be there.

“Do you have any idea how”

Lena stops, mid-sentence, upon seeing Kara standing at her door. “Oh. It’s you,” is the next thing that comes out of Lena’s mouth as she stares. Kara has clearly been up most, if not all, night. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying. Lena assumes they look much like her own at this point. Kara is also holding flowers, chocolate, and a small box.

“Hi,” Kara says softly. “Can I come in?”

Lena takes in a deep breath and steps to the side, holding the door as Kara passes through, a small grateful smile on her face. Lena closes the door and makes her way into a room on the side of the house. It is a room set up for entertaining, or so Lena’s parents tell her so. It has a couple couches for sitting around a coffee table, and several bookshelves that line the wall with books from different genres. Lena used to spend hours perusing the shelves when they came here each summer. Books were an escape for her long before music was.

Kara follows Lena into the room, a few steps behind, in silence. Once in the room, Lena walks to the back side of one couch and leans against it, her arms crossed. “Well?” She asks, her voice filled with hurt masquerading as anger. Kara frowns, setting down the flowers and chocolate on a nearby table. “I… I brought these things… but I know… I know it’s stupid to try to make up for what I did by buying you things… I just… I needed to tell you and show you how sorry I am that I missed your gig last night.”

“You think I’m upset because you missed my gig?” Lena asks, eyebrow raised.

Kara takes a few steps towards Lena but then pauses, afraid to go into her bubble without her permission. “I know I promised I would be back for it and I would have made it if I hadn’t gotten a flat tire on the way back. I swear it wasn’t planned.”

Lena laughs dryly. “And what about dinner the day before? Or blowing me off the day before that? Saying you’ll call and then you don’t.” Kara stares, giving Lena the look a kicked puppy might give its attacker. “I… I didn’t realize…”

Lena scoffs at her. “Oh, come on Kara, you and I both know what’s happening here.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Kara asks tersely, her own frustration starting to build.

Lena sighs and looks down at her own feet. “You are already figuring out your new life, what comes after graduation. The life you’ll be living… without me in it.”

Kara’s mouth falls open, hearing the underlying vulnerability behind Lena’s initial angry outbursts. “What? No, Lena, that isn’t it at all. I’ll admit, I got sucked up into the excitement of it all. And I fucked up, I know I did. But that isn’t what is happening here.”

Kara dares to take a few steps to Lena, but decides to stay at arm’s length from Lena, who is still looking down, fighting back tears again. “Lee… please… look at me.” Lena pauses for a moment before relenting and looking up into sky blue eyes that are filled with tears of their own. “Lee, I love you. I know this is poor timing on my part, saying it now. But I need you to know that I love you and I have no intention of letting you go, anytime soon, or maybe ever.” 

Lena chuckles. She can’t help it. Kara’s openheartedness. Her willingness to put her feelings out there knowing they might not be reciprocated it one of the bravest things Lena has ever witnessed. She could never be this brave. She has been trying for weeks to tell Kara she was in love with her. And here, Kara is, saying it first. Because she is brave.

“Can I come closer?” Kara asks, unsure of how to interpret Lena’s chuckle. Lena nods so Kara takes a step into Lena’s bubble. “Hi,” Kara whispers, a half-smile on her face. “You’re an idiot, you know that, right?” Lena says with a smile on her face that she can no longer hide.

“Yes, Kara Danvers is a big idiot, who is in love. I’m sorry I hurt you so much Lee. And I promise I won’t let myself get swept away again by the dancers and prospect of college with my sister. I swear I’ll never do it again.”

“Kara, be realistic here, you and I both know that isn’t a promise you can keep.”

“Try me.” Kara is smiling brightly now; her eyes have a level of intensity to them that Lena rarely sees unless she is dancing.

Lena pulls her in for a heated kiss in response. Kara fumbles into the kiss, quickly finding her footing and reciprocating the intensity. And at least for today, Lena lets herself believe that Kara is right, and everything is going to be ok between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is fun. I hope you all enjoyed the angst fest of chapter 2. :D
> 
> I am on twitter and instagram @forever_angsty and on tumblr @ajeepgirl if you want to chat!


	3. Remember When

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter picks up five years into the future... we see where both Lena and Kara ended up as well as several flashbacks...

Five years later…

“Ms. Luthor, your last appointment is here.” Lena cringes still when being called that name. But no matter how many times she tells the young assistant not to call her that, she persists anyway. Lena doesn’t get it. They are both 23. So what if her family is rich and owns one of the biggest technology and science companies in the world. So what if Lena got thrusted into running things over the past year. All of that still feels so unreal to Lena. To herself, she is still that slightly awkward, punk rock kid who found herself on the west coast.

“Send him in,” She responds back as she stands up, smooths out her suit and awaits to shake another old white man’s hand despite the fact that he thinks she doesn’t know what she is doing. Lena does know. She was bred to do this. And she chose to give up her pursuit of music to take over when her father passed. This was not a decision she made lightly. And for the most part, she doesn’t regret it.

There is just one thing that came out of all of this that she does regret. Losing Kara. Though when she thinks back on things now, Lena isn’t sure she still had Kara by the time they mutually ended things. Kara was swept up in her dancing and her classes at college while Lena was doing a west coast tour with her band, opening for Paramore. It was a big deal for them. Until it wasn’t anymore. Because when her father passed, Lena froze. She was no longer sure of her next move in life. Despite Lillian’s protests and pressure, Lionel was more supportive of Lena pursuing her own passions. But when he died, something died in Lena. She lost her drive for music and found herself wanting to connect with her dad through their mutual interest: science. So now, just a few short years later, here she sits, helping to run her family’s company.

“Hello, Ms. Luthor, I’m Jack Spheer of Spheerical industries. It’s so good to meet you.” Lena was put off at first by the young man as they shook hands. “Hello, Jack. I believe you are here today to convince me of why Luthor Corp should team up with Spheerical Industries.”

“That is the hope, yes. We are a younger and less well-known group. But we are at the cutting edge of nanobot technology, and I believe with your prowess as a scientist and a businessperson, we could do great things today, perhaps change the world as we know it.”

Jack didn’t know it, but in that moment, Lena decided she was going to work with him. His presentation of the nanobots and the direction of his company were exactly what she was looking for. Spheerical industries was made up of young, raw talent with a goal towards humanitarian efforts. This was the direction she was taking the science division of her father’s company. And she knew Jack would help get her there.

After Jack’s departure, she told her assistant to begin drafting the legal documents for their merger. Lena then makes her way over to her balcony and stares out over the edge, taking in the vast city below her. Lena misses the west coast often, particularly on days like today, when she could already feel the chill of the fall setting in. People in New York are always in such a hurry to get where they are going. No one ever seemed to take the time to just stop and enjoy the moment. It was something Lena rarely did herself anymore. Her one moment of peace came each evening, when she stood on her balcony, sipping on a glass of scotch, staring out into the abyss of the city. After ten minutes, Lena was back in her office at her desk, working until the late hours, when she would finally make the five-minute walk back to her apartment and crash, only to wake up again a few hours later and do it all over again.

“Alex, Hey! I made it!” Kara exclaims as she steps out of the airport and heads to a cab.

“Awesome! I cannot wait to hear all about New York City. I’m glad you are staying a couple extra days to explore after your audition.” Kara smiled into the phone. “Me too! It’s my first time on the East Coast and I want to make the best out of it, especially since I might be moving here!”

“Yes yes I know, big bad Kara the dancer is leaving her older sister behind.” This had become the new routine between the two sisters, to banter about who left who first, ever since Kara got the invitation to audition for the New York City Ballet. “You literally leave National City all the time for work Alex. And sometimes you are gone for a week or more!” Kara still wasn’t sure exactly what her sister did. She was a scientist for the FBI. But Kara didn’t understand why that meant that she sometimes had to travel for work. And Alex wasn’t allowed to tell her either. It was infuriating to Kara because she could also tell just how much Alex loved her job.

“I am aware. But I think the more important question is, are you going to see a special someone while you are there?” Another point of contention between the sisters. Every time Kara has mentioned New York over the past two weeks, Alex brings Lena up. They know she is there since they are all still friends on social media. Kara hasn’t spoken to Lena directly in a few years though. And the thought of coming face to face with her is kind of terrifying. Memory after memory flashes through her mind in that moment, causing a sense of uneasiness to settle in her stomach.

“Alex…” Kara doesn’t have it in her to fight her sister about this anymore. Alex picks up on this though and drops it. “Yeah yeah. Ok, go, have fun, send lots of pictures.”

“Love you sis.”

“Love you too.”

Kara arrives at her hotel, checking in kind of late because she insisted on stopping for food on the way there. Even now, Kara has a tendency to eat her feelings instead of dealing with them. She makes her way up to her room and without unpacking, immediately plops face down on the bed and passes out.

The next morning Lena awakes with a jerk, her heart racing. She glances around the room as the dream slowly fades and reality sets in. This happens more than Lena would like to admit. A dream of another life, one where she didn’t leave Kara. The dreams always bring up memories and today is no exception. As she drags herself to the shower, her mind is plagued by one particular memory. It was one of the last happy memories she had with Kara, before her entire life changed.

_Lena was supposed to be in LA doing a gig with her band. But it was also their two-year anniversary. And while Lena and Kara had agreed to never let their relationship interfere with their career goals, Lena was choosing this. She wanted to surprise Kara. So, here she was in National City instead, walking up to the apartment Kara shares with her sister Alex, her arms full of flowers and chocolate. And in her pocket, a necklace she was planning to give to Kara to signify her commitment to her._

_Lena steadies herself as she knocks on the door. A few seconds later, Alex opens the door and immediately has a giant grin on her face. “Oh, thank god. I thought she was just going to be here being mopey all night.”_

_“Hi to you too, Alex.”_

_Kara’s sister laughs. “She is in her room.” Lena nods in appreciation and makes her way to the hallway of the two-bedroom apartment. She knocks gently. “Go away Alex.”_

_Lena can’t help but smile. She knocks again. She hears Kara sigh loudly as she gets off her bed and rips the door open. “I said-”. She freezes mid-sentence, mouth agape, her eyes not believing what she is seeing. “Happy Anniversary Darling.” The next thing Lena knows she is being swept up in Kara’s arms. Being a dancer, she has always been stronger than the average woman. This is one of the things Lena finds particularly wonderful about dating Kara Danvers. Kara is squealing as she pulls Lena into her room and slams the door. “I can’t believe you’re here!” She says this in between covering Lena with kisses._

_“Like I could miss seeing you on our special day.” Kara stares admirably into Lena’s forest green eyes. “I love you so much Lee.” Lena’s cheeks redden as she pulls Kara back into her personal bubble. “I love you too, Darling.” The flowers and chocolate are on the floor, forgotten as the two get wrapped up in each other. The box with the necklace stays hidden in Lena’s coat, which is quickly removed by Kara and tossed on the floor. The two spend the evening in each other’s arms._

_It isn’t until the next morning that Lena slides the small box over to Kara as they lay in bed, taking in the morning snuggles together. “What’s that?” Kara asks through a bright smile._

_“Open it,” Lena says softly. Kara takes it carefully and opens it to find a silver necklace with a pendant on the end. “I had it custom made. It’s a ballerina connected to a guitar with a heart. The dancer and the punk rocker, tied together, just like you and me.”_

_“Lee… I thought we agreed no presents.” Lena laughs. “I know what we said… but I wanted to make sure you always know that no matter where I am, my heart is tied to you and wherever you are.” Kara kisses Lena deeply, trying to convey her emotions as deeply as she can. When she finally pulls away, she has a smirk on her face. “What is that look for Kara?”_

_“Oh… I… I might have also gotten you something.” Lena smiles while raising her eyebrow, “Oh?” Kara rolls out of bed and goes to her dresser, opening the top draw and pulling out an equally small box. She walks slowly back to the bed, handing the box to Lena as she sits down gingerly on the bed. Lena, sitting up slightly, takes the box and opens it slowly. Her eyes go wide in shock as she stares down at the ring._

_“Don’t freak out Lee. It is just a promise ring, I swear.” Lena looks from the ring back up to Kara’s ocean blue eyes. They are filled with love. “I just… I wanted you to know I’m in this for the long haul, no matter what happens.” Lena uses her free hand to reach around Kara’s neck and pull her into her, kissing her even deeper than they just were a few moments ago. Lena breaks away briefly, touching her forehead to Kara’s as she whispers, “I love it.” She slides the ring on her finger before delicately putting the necklace on Kara. Lena puts her hand on the pendant over Kara’s chest, and quickly finds Kara’s hand covering her own. She looks up into azure eyes that glisten with tears. “What’s wrong Darling?” Kara stares deeply into Lena’s green eyes for a moment in silence. “I’m… I’m just so happy with you.” Lena responds by placing her lips over Kara’s, her hand drifting down to find Kara’s hip and pull her closer._

_They spend the rest of the morning in bed, refusing to let the real world impede on their love for each other that day._

By the time Lena comes back to the present, she is stepping out of the shower. As she dresses, she instinctively places the silver chain around her neck, taking a moment to hold the ring in her hand, before sliding the ring and neckless under her attire.

Lena makes her way into Luthor Corp just as her assistant is arriving with her coffee. She gives her a quick thank you as she proceeds into her office to begin another day. She knows today will be dedicated to reviewing and editing the paperwork for Spheerical Industries. Lena makes it halfway to her desk when the flowers on the coffee table at the couch catch her attention. She turns and sees a dozen roses in a glass vase. She approaches them and picks up the thank you card, assuming her assistant must have put them here when they came this morning.

She stands in awe as she takes in the contents of the card.

_Lena – I enjoyed our meeting yesterday. Perhaps you would like to meet again, over dinner? – Jack_

Lena stares at the card, trying to decipher exactly what he means by dinner. Is it a date? Or is he just trying to butter Lena up as they begin negotiations for the deal. Never one to shy away from conflict, Lena quickly has Jack’s contact information sent to her by her assistant so she can clear this up.

She settles for an email, not wanting to seem too overly interested.

_Jack – Thank you for the flowers, the gesture was unneeded but appreciated. Before I commit, I did want to ask what exactly you meant by the dinner invitation. – Lena Luthor_

Lena sends the email and then continues about her day. It isn’t until a few hours and meetings later that she glances at her email and sees his quick reply.

_Lena Luthor – I do apologize for the confusion. Let me be clear, I would like to take you out on a date. – Jack_

Lena stares at the email for several minutes.

A date.

Lena Luthor just got asked on a date.

Lena hasn’t been on a date in a very, very long time. She has spent the last three years powering through her education and then becoming head of the science branch of Luthor Corp. She hasn’t slowed down enough to date.

She did try once after Kara. She briefly had a fling with a woman named Veronica. They had met shortly after Lena had relocated back East for school. She was having difficulty adjusting to the grueling schedule. And Veronica. Well, she offered Lena a reprieve from it all. She was the antithesis of Kara, the anti-Kara as Lena referred to her in her head. She was dark, mysterious, and closed off to the point of being completely unreadable. But she went for what she wanted. So, when she spotted Lena working in a coffee shop one day, she walked up to her and laid down her phone number.

_“You’re going to want to call me, tonight.” Lena stared at the striking woman from behind her laptop. Lena was rarely bothered by others, but here, this woman, left her completely unraveled. “Um… excuse me?”_

_Veronica gave her a sneaky smile. “You. Me. Drinks. Tonight. Call me.” She winks and walks away, leaving Lena completely baffled. Lena was still feeling very raw from her recent break up. The idea of something that could be fun and not serious, while providing a distraction from her new life, was overly appealing to her._

_Lena called her that evening. “Um… hi… this is… well, you never got my name. I’m the woman from the coffee shop… I’m Lena.”_

_She could hear the smile on the other end of the line. “Veronica. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way. What do you say you join me at my place? We can get to know each other over wine as we enjoy the evening air from my hot tub.”_

_That was all the invite Lena needed. She was enraptured by the young woman from the start. She started spending every weekend with Veronica, forgoing any kind of work for 48 hours, most of which they spent together at her lover’s place. And while Lena welcomed it, after a few months, she knew it wasn’t what she really wanted. Lucky for her, Veronica had tired of her around that time._

_She sent Lena a single black rose with a card, “L – it’s been fun. Until next time. – V._

_Lena knew that was it for them. And while a part of her was disappointed. Another part of her was relieved. She could go back to focusing on her accelerated education and on developing science to change the world._

The idea of an actual date terrified Lena. She left the email alone for the rest of the day, unsure of what she wanted to say.

Kara woke up early that day and immediately went to the gym to get a pre-audition workout in. She needed to be at the top of her game today if she was going to be invited to join the prestigious New York City Ballet Company. After her workout, she ate a light breakfast and then showered and changed for her audition. As she was getting ready, she paused, staring down at the necklace, the one Lena had given her for their two-year anniversary. She rarely wore it anymore, but she always carried it with her. For some reason, it had become somewhat of a luck charm for her. Oddly enough, after her and Lena broke things off, it was the thing that helped her stay grounded, to stay focused, and helped guide her when she was feeling particularly lost. In fact, she owed the necklace for this audition.

_Kara had been making a name for herself among the National City Ballet Company since graduating college. But she didn’t feel complete. In fact, she felt like it wasn’t challenging enough for her and she was becoming stagnant. She hadn’t talked to Alex about it yet because frankly, she didn’t know what else to do. She worked so hard on her dancing that she wasn’t sure she could do anything else. Sure, she had double majored in college and also has a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Even so, she had no idea what to do with that degree, exactly._

_It was a few weeks ago when it happened. Kara was just getting home from another day of rehearsals, lost in her own thoughts about her future, when she realized the necklace was missing. She tore threw her bag, dumping the contents out. It wasn’t there. She immediately left her apartment, backtracking her exact steps from home back to the studio. She finally found the necklace on the floor of the stage. It must have fallen out of her bag as she was walking off the stage._

_Kara did a huge sigh in relief. And then she stood on the stage, taking in the emptiness before her. It was in that moment that Kara decided to do something she hadn’t done in years: dance for fun. She began gliding around the stage, pulling out familiar but difficult maneuvers in between dance moves from old performances. It was like all her previous recitals had culminated in this one fierce dance. She danced out her anxiety, her anger, her passion. Everything came out of her through the dance. It was something that had happened to Kara over the past few years. Since Lena, Kara became walled off from others emotionally, too scared to get hurt so devastatingly bad again. So instead of talking, she dances her emotions._

_What Kara didn’t know, was that as she was dancing, someone had entered from the far end of the theater. It was one of the recruiters for the New York City Ballet Company. He was there to scope out the stage for some upcoming performances on the West Coast. He stood back in the dark, watching Kara float across the stage in amazement. He had no idea who was on the stage, but he knows he needed this person at the upcoming auditions. And despite the fact that all invites had been sent out, he knew this woman deserved as much of a shot as anyone else._

_When Kara finished her impromptu dance, she was out of breath, but smiling. That was when she heard the clapping, growing closer as the man approached the stage. Kara’s eyes shot open, confused by the intrusion on her private dance session._

_“That was quite amazing, Miss?”_

_“Um… Danvers… Kara Danvers”_

_“And you dance for the National City Ballet Company?”_

_“Um… yes?”_

_“Why?”_

_“I’m sorry?”_

_“Why dance here? You clearly have the moves for something greater, something better.”_

_It finally dawned on Kara that this person was in her professional somehow. “Sorry, who are you?”_

_“Me? I’m James Olson. I work for the New York City Ballet Company.”_

_Kara’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest at hearing this. She was off the stage and shaking his hand so fast, it was almost inhuman._

And so, two weeks later, Kara is here, auditioning for the most respected and well-known ballerina company in the Western Hemisphere. She gently places the necklace around her neck today, thinking maybe she needs a little extra luck.

After the day of auditioning, Kara is exhausted, she makes her way back to the hotel and immediately orders herself a large pizza with a brownie sundae for dessert. She settles in on the bed, turning on the tv and flipping through the channels. She pauses the tv when an old familiar movie comes on. She has refused to watch this particular movie since the breakup. It was their movie, after all. It was the first movie they watched together. Despite it being a kid’s movie, they both loved it, though Lena tried her hardest to hide it at first.

But this time, today, she stares at the tv, taking in the movie for the first time in years. The memory of their last time watching it rushing to the forefront of her brain.

_“Lee, it’s your turn to pick the movie.” Lena takes a bite of her salad as she makes her way over to the movie shelf, scanning it despite the fact that she knows what she will pick already. It takes her a minute before she picks up How to Train your Dragon and takes it over, handing it to Kara who just smirks at her._

_“You know you don’t always have to pick this movie, right?” Lena smiles as she snuggles up to Kara when she returns to the couch. “I know. But I like it. It reminds me of you. Of us.”_

_Kara chuckles, putting her arm protectively around Lena. “How in the world does a movie about training dragons remind you of me or us?”_

_Lena stares at the tv as the movie starts, but then glances up into Kara’s entrancing eyes. “I’m like the dragon. You’re like Hiccup.”_

_“Ok,” Kara responds with a mischievous smile. “So, you can fly?” Lena rolls her eyes. “You wanted to get to know me, to understand me. You realized just how misunderstood I was by everyone else. And you broke down those barriers, despite how hard it was. You know everything about me.”_

_Kara stares deeply into Lena’s mesmerizing eyes. The movie plays on as the two continue to stare at each other. “Kara, we are missing the movie.”_

_“I don’t mind,” she says, a smile creeping its way up her face. Lena leans up for a kiss, a kiss which quickly becomes something more. The two women quickly losing any kind of focus on the movie._

Kara stares at the tv in her hotel room, alone. She debates taking her sister’s advice and contacting Lena. In the end, she decides that maybe it is best to let sleeping dogs lie. She curls up grasping tightly to the necklace as she drifts off to sleep, exhausted from the day and the emotional trip down memory lane that her mind took her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the new chapter! I will probably have 1 or 2 more chapters for this story. :)


	4. Wish You Were Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara spends the day exploring the city and finds herself recalling certain memories. Lena spends the day fretting over her date... until she receives a phone call from a particular person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. It looks like this will be 5, maybe 6 chapters, depending on how chapter 5 turns out. Hope you enjoy the update! :)

Lena continues to stare at the email the next day, unsure of what to say, unsure about her own apprehension. Lena has known for a long time she is attracted to both sexes, though she tends to prefer woman. She also knows that Jack is an extremely likable and attractive man. But is she attracted to him? That was the question at hand. Lena ultimately decides to approach it like a scientist and collect more data.

_Jack – Thank you for your patience, I’m sure you know I am a very busy person. Dinner sounds wonderful. – Lena Luthor_

She types it out quickly and hits send before she has more time to think it over. Her internal dialogue keeps reminding her she is simply collecting data about how she responds to being around Jack. She was in business mode when they first met. Now, she can be in date mode… whatever that means.

Lena is deep into paperwork when her computer beeps, alerting her to a new email. She glances up to see a response from Jack.

_Wonderful indeed. I’ll pick you up tonight, say 7? – Jack_

Lena stares, not realizing how quickly the date would happen. But here it is, in less than 9 hours. Oh boy. Lena buzzes her assistant to her office, asking her to remind her to leave the office by 5:30. Her assistant, wide-eyed, simply stares at her for a moment before finally nodding and returning to her own desk. Lena couldn’t help but chuckle at the response. “I’m surprised too…” she says to her empty office as she tells Jack she will see him at 7 tonight.

Kara wakes up the next day, feeling like a new person as she sets her sights on seeing New York City. She starts by going for a run through the historical Central Park, stopping several times to take in the beautiful scenery around her. The entire event restoring her own happiness a little bit. Because for the first time in a long time, she could see it. She could see herself building a life here in New York as she dances at the next level of her career. On her way out of the park, Kara snaps a quick photo and sends it off to Alex.

Kara heads back to the hotel to shower and change for the rest of her day of sightseeing. As she is getting ready though, she notices a response from Alex and types a quick reply.

_Alex: Yay! Glad you are enjoying yourself. When do you hear about your audition?_

_Kara: Today sometime. Those who are accepted are taken out for a celebratory dinner tonight at some big fancy restaurant I could never actually afford. I’ll be distracting myself by seeing all the things I can in the meantime._

_Alex: Excellent. What about you know who? Have you told her you are in the city yet?_

At Alex’s response, Kara sighs, typing her reply with hope that Alex will drop it after this.

_Kara: No, Alex, I haven’t. She has an entirely new life now. I have no right to interject myself into it. So please just drop it._

_Alex: Got it Kara. Message received._

Kara sends a heart in response before putting her phone in her bag and heading out the door, a day of adventuring ahead of her.

She spends the morning exploring the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While at her first stop, she finds herself drawn to the outer space part of the Museum. When she gets to the Met, Kara particularly loves the Ancient Egypt section, and spends more time there than she anticipates, but doesn’t mind. She ends up eating a late lunch, getting a couple hot dogs from a street vendor and feeling very New York.

As Kara eats lunch, she finds herself taking in the people around her, noticing families and couples. She pays particular attention to a couple who are clearly in some kind of argument. They are speaking in hushed tones, so Kara can’t hear what they are saying, but she can clearly feel the tension from her place on a bench. It causes her memory to recall one of the more intense fights between her and Lena.

_Lena was on tour. Kara was in the spring dance season, the busiest time for her. It was the end of Kara’s freshman year. With Lena being gone all the time, she found herself often spending time with fellow dancers and others involved with their group. She particularly ended up hanging out often with her friend Winn, who was majoring in information technology and helped program all the lighting and sound for each performance._

_It was a Friday evening that Kara found herself having dinner with Winn. He was a funny guy and a bit of a nerd. Kara found him endearing. He insisted on walking her back to her apartment after dinner. Kara was never great at picking up on when someone might have romantic feelings for her. After all, she dated Mike for two years, but only after he insisted that the three times they went to dinner were dates and she just didn’t know it. With Lena, it was clear from the get go because she had asked Lena directly._

_So maybe, just maybe Kara wasn’t used to picking up on such cues. But also, maybe Kara had been feeling quite lonely lately, with Lena being on tour. After all, she hadn’t seen her in over a month. And Alex was spending all her free time with her new girlfriend. In fact, that is where she was this particular evening. So as Kara walked up to her apartment, she didn’t think about it, just naturally inviting Winn inside to hang out and in reality, just not wanting to be alone on a Friday night._

_What Kara didn’t know is that Lena had come back for a surprise weekend visit. She didn’t know that Lena had gotten a key from Alex to let her in and cook a surprise dinner for them. She didn’t know what Lena would think when Kara came through the door with Winn._

_Even worse, her response was more surprise and shock than anything else. “Lena! What are you doing here?!?” This did not help._

_Lena stared, glancing from Kara to Winn, trying to put the pieces together. She had never met Winn. After all, when she does come to see Kara, it is usually just the two of them unless they are spending time with Alex._

_Winn stood there, unsure of exactly what was happening. He was already disappointed though, knowing that he didn’t have Kara all to himself that evening._

_“Am I interrupting something?” Lena finally asks, settling on anger as her primary emotional response to the current situation._

_“What? No. Lena, this is Winn. He is one of my friends. Winn, this is Lena, my girlfriend.” Winn looks from Lena to Kara, surprised. Kara had never mentioned Lena before. Granted, they tended to talk about the dance recitals or about shared interests. But still, you’d think she would have mentioned Lena these past few times they hung out individually. “Um… hi,” he finally says._

_“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” Kara says, taking a step towards Lena and away from Winn. “I wouldn’t have gone for dinner with Winn had I know.”_

_Lena grits her teeth, her jaw tightening. “I can see that” she finally retorts. Kara can feel the bubbling anger from Lena. She turns back to Winn, “Hey… why don’t we call it a night. I’ll talk to you next week.” The implications are clear. Winn nods. “Yeah, sure, of course. I’ll see you later.” He turns and steps back out the door. “It was nice to meet you Lena.” And with that, he lets the door close as he makes his escape._

_“You’ve never mentioned your friend… Winn.” Lena takes a step back from Kara who had tried to come up to her after Winn dispersed. “Lee… come on… there is nothing going on between me and Winn.”_

_“You sure? I didn’t interrupt whatever was about to happen when he came into your apartment with you… alone.” Lena turns and starts cleaning up the now cold dinner. She hears Kara sigh behind her, unsure of how to fix this. “Lena… please talk to me.”_

_Lena turns back to see Kara looking defeated, like a kicked puppy. “Kara… I know you didn’t know I was coming… but that was kind of the point of the surprise. We haven’t seen each other in over a month. And I thought it would be nice to surprise my girlfriend with dinner and a weekend off… but if you’d rather spend your time with someone else, I need to know. Please don’t lead me on and drag this out.”_

_The hurt and vulnerability shine through Lena’s green eyes as they begin to glisten from tears. She could never hide how she was feeling from Kara. It was one of the things she loved most about Kara, her ability to see through her walls. Kara takes a tentative step forward and then pauses, not wanting Lena to turn away from her again. “Lena, I promise, you are the one for me, ok? I have no plans on being with anyone else. Whatever you think you saw going on between me and Winn… it isn’t true. I can’t speak for Winn, but I can tell you that I only see him as a friend. You are the one I want to be with.” Kara tries to fill her voice with confidence as she talks, but her voice breaks halfway through as her emotions get the better of her. Her lip is quivering, and her eyes are overflowing with tears by the time she finishes._

_Lena lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Kara… I just… I feel like I am losing you. I try to come back as much as I can… because I know it’s harder for you to travel because of school and dance… it’s just so hard.”_

_And just like that, as quickly as Lena’s anger had risen, it had dissipated. Standing before Kara now was Lena with the emotions which were beneath the anger. She was afraid, frustrated, and exhausted. This Lena, Kara knew how to reach. She took another step forward and held her arms out, inviting Lena in, but letting Lena decide if and when she was ready for that. Lena looked deeply into Kara’s blue eyes, seeing nothing but love in them. Lena practically fell into Kara’s arms as she melted into the familiar affection she had been missing so dearly._

After a somber lunch, Kara heads to the famous Coney Island in hopes it will pick up her spirts. Once there, she takes in the amusement parks on the boardwalk, walking around simply taking it all. She watches families running around as children yell about which ride they want next. She looks around and sees all the people so happy, enjoying their random Thursday off. Kara takes it in and has a hint of a memory again. One in which her and Lena actually talked about the future. She sinks down onto a nearby bench as the memory plays out in her mind.

_“Where do you want to be in ten years?” Lena looked at Kara as she asked it. It had been a few weeks since the funeral of Lena’s father. She had insisted that Kara didn’t need to fly out to the East Coast for it. Kara wanted to come to support Lena, but she also wanted to respect Lena’s wishes. She could tell though, from the moment Lena returned, something was different, something was off, something had changed._

_“I’m not sure,” Kara finally responded. “I mean, I have a few years left in college. After that, hopefully I will join a dance company and continue doing what I love most.”_

_Lena hummed in response as her hand gently caressed Kara’s, the two of them sitting, curled up together on the couch of Lena’s place._

_Distress that had been building in Kara, finally bubbled over. “Lee, you never talk about the future. What’s going on?”_

_“I think I want to finally start college.” Lena stares off somewhere in the room, not wanting to look at Kara, but knowing that she needs to be honest with her._

_“Ok… where do you want to go?” Kara asks, but she knows. She already knows that Lena has basically had an open spot waiting for her at MIT, where everyone in her family has gone. But Kara still had some hope that maybe, just maybe, Lena wouldn’t choose to go to school across the country._

_“My mother already made a call. I could start at MIT when the new semester begins in a few weeks.”_

_Kara stiffens, her breath hitched. “That’s so far away. But if that’s what you want to do, Lee, I’ll support you.”_

_Lena glances up to Kara finally, taking in her appearance. Anxiety is radiating off Kara. Lena feels her own heart cracking, knowing what she must do next. “Kara… we both know long distance is hard… We’ve been doing that for a while now, with me coming and going on tour while you are swamped with dance and school. I mean… we went an entire month not seeing each other several times… it will be worse with me trying to power through my bachelor’s in two years… I… I can’t ask you to do that.”_

_Kara sits up straighter. “Why would you want to rush through your degree?” Lena takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before speaking. “So, I can start working at Luthor Corp as soon as possible. My mother and brother agreed to give me the science division of Luthor Corp to run as I see fit, as my father wished.” There, she finally said it, finally told Kara her plans._

_“But… is that really what you want Lee?” Kara asks it cautiously, almost like she is afraid of the answer. Lena gives her a half-smile. “I want to do something that makes me feel close to Lionel. Science was the thing we always had in common… I just… I’ve lost my drive for music and I’m not sure if I’ll ever get it back… Right now, I want to do what I was raised and meant to do… give back to the world through my scientific knowledge and all the resources I have at the tips of my fingers because of who I am.” Lena finishes, trying her best to sound confident._

_Kara’s voice is horse, trembling as she whispers, “Lena, don’t do this. Please.” Lena takes Kara’s hands in her own. “Kara… I… I don’t want to. But I also don’t want to drag things out with you to the point that we are both suffering… and then we both end up resenting the other one… and then not only are we not together but we can’t even be friends… I don’t know what I would do if I lost my best friend… but I also don’t know how to keep you.” Lena’s eyes fill with tears at finally laying out everything she has been carrying since returning from Metropolis._

_With tears silently falling down her face, Kara takes in a deep breath. “Lena… I… I can’t lose you either.”_

_Lena pulls Kara in for a hug. “You won’t lose me… I promise…” Kara cried in Lena’s arms that evening, knowing full well that Lena would never be able to keep that promise, but choosing to believe it anyway._

Kara is pulled from her reverie by her phone ringing. She wipes the stray tear from her eye and sniffles as she answers.

“Hello, this is Kara Danvers.”

“Ms. Danvers, this is James Olson.” Kara straightens up. “I am calling to invite you to dinner this evening.”

Kara almost screamed into the phone but managed to refrain. She saved the yelling for when she called Alex immediately getting off the phone with James.

Lena managed to get home by 6:00, only running a little late. She quickly got ready for the date, changing into a simple black dress. She managed to be ready by 6:30 and decided to answer a few emails. As she was working on her laptop, her phone beeped at her, indicating a text message. She froze when she saw the name on her phone.

_1 message from Alex Danvers_

She hadn’t talked to Alex since shortly after the breakup, when Alex reached out to make sure she was doing ok after moving back East. She knows Kara put her up to it. But she didn’t have it in her heart to call either of them out on it. Instead, she choose to update her on how life was on the East Coast, knowing full well that Kara will hear about everything she tells Alex.

Lena picks the phone up and unlocks it, terrified that something terrible has happened to Kara.

_Alex Danvers: Hi old friend. I know it’s been ages. But I thought you’d want to know that my sister is currently in New York City._

Lena stares at the message in disbelief. Why in the world is Kara in New York? Furthermore, why is Alex telling her? And also, why hasn’t Kara reached out? If she wanted to see Lena, she would reach out, Right?

As Lena’s mind raced with all the unanswered questions, she decided she couldn’t not know. She hit the call button. Alex answered almost immediately.

“Somehow I knew you’d call instead of respond to that message.”

“Hi to you too, Alex.”

“Hi Lena.” Alex chuckles and waits for Lena to continue. “Why is she in New York City? Why didn’t she tell me she was here? I mean, if she wanted to see me, she would have told me she was coming, wouldn’t she?”

“Woah there Luthor. You’re as bad as she is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Alex laughs again. “Just that both of you are two of the most stubborn human beings I’ve ever met. Seriously, do you think I would have texted you if I didn’t think Kara wants to see you?”

Lena pauses for a minute, taking in Alex’s tone and words. Lena knows Alex fairly well, or at least she used to. And she knows sometimes Alex will do for Kara what she won’t do for herself. Despite being adopted as a teenager, Kara and Alex have the kind of relationship Lena wish she had with Lex. They watched out for each other with such conviction.

“Yeah… ok. So what? Are you suggesting that I reach out to her instead? Won’t that be a bit obvious?”

“Oh, I am totally ok with you ratting me out to her.” This elicits a laugh from Lena. “Ok ok but you didn’t tell me why she is here.”

“I think it is better if you hear that from her.” This response causes Lena’s heartrate to skyrocket for some reason. She doesn’t realize it might be hope.

Lena takes a few breaths. “Ok. Well… thank you for letting me know.” She tries hard to return to her emotionally neutral façade she wears so often these days. But Alex knows her. She knows this news is getting to her. Again, Alex chuckles as she says under her breath, “Useless bisexuals.”

“Alright Luthor, you have the information. Do with it what you want. I gotta run.”

“Thank you, Alex, seriously.” Lena wants Alex to know just how much this phone call means to her. “Of course.”

With that, they bid each other goodbye. When Lena hands up the phone, she stares around her apartment, unsure of exactly what just happened. Her mind racing, so full of thoughts.

Kara is here. She is in New York City. It’s been three years since she has seen her, talked to her, made love to her.

Lena is so swept up in her thoughts that she doesn’t realize what time it is. She is disrupted from her thoughts when her buzzer rings. “Oh… shit… Jack…” Lena had completely forgot about her date.

Date. Lena has a date with someone. But Kara is here. Lena sighs. She has no idea what will come from this date any more than she knows what will come from reaching out to Kara. Maybe Alex is wrong. With that rationalization, Lena makes her way to the door to find Jack in a three-piece suit. “Hello Lena, it’s good to see you again.” He reaches down and places a light kiss on her cheek, causing her cheeks to redden in slightly. “Ready to go?” Lena nods, snagging a light jacket as she heads out. Jack leads her to his car and opens the door to let her in. He makes his way around to the other side and slides in the back with her. The car takes off.

“So, where are we headed?” Lena asks, trying to stay focused on the man in front of her and not the woman who is now somewhere in this city. Jack grins, “Oh, it’s a surprise.” Lena laughs as Jack engages her in conversation, pulling her attention away from the strong urge she has that is telling her to text an old familiar number.

As they pull up, Jack announces they have arrived. Lena glances out the tinted window and gasps. “Jack Spheer, are you taking me to the infamous 21 Club?” Now Lena is impressed. This place is historical, having been around for nearly a hundred years. It is known for the place that the rich and powerful tend to dine. This is the reason Lena has avoided it. Despite her status, she has never felt truly like one of them. But here she is with Jack, a man who clearly is trying to impress her. Jack simply smiles widely as he jumps out and rushes to the other side of the car to open the door for her. He extends a hand for her as she steps out of the car.

As they make their way inside, Lena is impressed by the lavish interior. They are taken to a table in the back that Jack had obviously reserved. Throughout the appetizer, Jack is charming, kind, and shows himself to be interested, asking Lena questions, and listening intently. Despite all of that, Lena can’t help that her mind keeps drifting to Kara. So many unanswered questions. But beyond that, a clear yearning to be with Kara. Something Lena has kept locked tight in a box for years. But with one phone call, it has opened all on its own.

A few blocks away, Kara is sitting in a limo with her newest team. She was one of four additions to the team. They are being taken out for dinner. Kara only knows James but finds herself quickly being swept up in the excitement with the other three new dancers. They all squeal when the limo pulls up and stops in front of a restaurant Kara has never heard of. She is excited though, assuming the food must be amazing given everyone’s excitement.

As they enter the building, Kara is awestruck by the restaurant. This is clearly not a place Kara could ever afford to go herself. She can already tell that everyone here is very, very rich. The group is guided to a private room towards the back and off to the side. Kara’s mouth is agape, completely mesmerized by the place, that she doesn’t notice the group walking away from her. James places a hand on Kara’s shoulder to get her attention and guide her towards the group.

She is almost to the private room when she hears it and freezes. She hears that laugh she could never forget. She turns slowly around, scanning the tables until her eyes stop at a table a couple dozen feet away. She stares at the back of Lena’s head, her long shiny ebony hair falling down her back. It’s much longer than it has ever been. Lena must have stopped cutting it after she moved to the East. Kara finally stops staring long enough to notice that Lena is sitting at a table for two with a man she doesn’t recognize. She sucks in a breath as she stops breathing. The man is attractive and is all smiles. They must clearly be on a date. Her eyes find their way back to Lena, gazing intently at her as she processes the scene before her. Kara feels an odd sensation through her body, setting aflame her insides. It’s a feeling she isn’t sure she has really ever had before. She has a strong desire to run over and interrupt the apparent date. She wants to go over, demand Lena come with her, there and now. Kara swallows hard, noticing this strange feeling taking over her mind and body. She shakes her head, trying to refocus herself. She is here to celebrate her accomplishment, not fawn over her ex-girlfriend, over a relationship that ended three years ago.

Lena feels it, feels like she is being watching, almost as if Kara’s penetrating stare was connecting to her on a deeper level. She slowly turns, looking around the restaurant, her eyes scanning for whoever gave her this feeling. But she finds nothing… and the feeling has passed.

Kara had vanished into the private room, making sure she finds a seat out of view from the door. She spends most of dinner preoccupied with Lena, though she tries her hardest to engage with her actual company. It’s hard though, knowing the woman she has refused to text to tell her she is in New York City is a meager 30 feet away. They’ve lived almost 3000 miles apart of the past three years. And now… now they will be living in the same city again.

Kara sighs and again tries to engage in conversation with the fellow dancers. By the time they get up to leave for the evening, Lena is long gone. And so is her mystery man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the update! :)


	5. I Will Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara finally talk. Read to find out how it goes. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter. I hope you like it! :)

It may have been, that in Kara’s excitement about being offered a position in the New York City Ballet Company, she forgot to charge her phone before dinner. And as such, her phone died in the middle of dinner. And so, when Kara got back to her apartment later that evening, she might have tossed her phone down on the dresser. In large part, because she was too distressed by the rise of feelings that she had thought were long gone. It turns out that seeing Lena opened the floodgate of feelings that Kara had walled herself off from years prior. Even worse, Lena was on a date with someone else.

So instead of plugging her phone in when she got back to the hotel, she decidedly put it down and fell face first into her bed, the tears already filling her eyes.

What Kara didn’t know until the following morning, was that she had a text message waiting. Well, she had several. But there was one in particular that shocked her.

When she awoke the next morning, she plugged her phone into the charger before going to hop in the shower. It wasn’t until a little while later that she finally checked it. She saw the usual messages from Alex and Eliza. But what shocked Kara was the message from Lena herself. Kara triple checked the timestamp. It was sent at 10:15pm.

_Lena: Hi Kara. Alex called me earlier this evening and informed me that you are in New York City. I know it’s been a long time and I would love to see you. Would you be interested in meeting up to catch up over a meal? – This is Lena, by the way._

Kara simply stared at her phone, reading and rereading the message. A million questions now running through her mind.

Why would Alex call her?

What did she mean she would ‘love’ to her?

Why does Lena want to catch up?

Why did she text last night? Did the date not go well? Or have they been seeing each other for a long time? Perhaps even living together?

As her mind raced, she felt her heartrate rising, her breathing becoming more and more shallow, and her vision starting to close in. She sat down on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest, trying to slow her breathing as she does. After a minute, she is finally able to calm herself down enough to call her sister.

“Hey sis! How was dinner?”

“What in the world did you do Alex?”

“Um… I’m not sure what you mean.” Kara can clearly tell she knows exactly what she means by the tone of her voice. Kara lets out a long sigh.

“Alex… why do I have a text message from Lena, saying that you called her and told her I was in New York?”

Alex chuckles. “Oh… that.”

“Yes, Alex, that.” Kara’s teeth grind together.

“I was doing what you were too afraid to do.” Alex says it so matter of fact.

“Alex… what am I supposed to say to her?”

Hearing the distress in Kara’s voice, Alex turns into her more calm, helpful self. “Ok Kara, it’s simple. Do you or do you not want to see Lena? Especially now that you will be moving there?”

Kara hums to herself as memories from the night before flash through her mind. “What if… what if she is seeing someone new?”

“Well, you won’t find out unless you go meet up with her.”

“What if… what if maybe I happened to see her last night… at the same restaurant I went to with the company… and she was there with someone.”

Alex hums as she thinks it over, trying not to over-react. She knows the tone she heard in Lena’s voice the day before. “I take it by your phone call this morning that you didn’t actually talk to her last night. And that she didn’t see you.”

Kara groans in response, indicating that Alex’s assumptions are correct. “Well, then logically, we cannot make assumptions about the nature of what you saw. And it would make the most sense for you to meet up with Lena and ask her yourself.”

Kara’s head sinks down onto her knees. “But Alex… what if she rejects me… again.”

Alex half-smiles even though Kara can’t see it. “Kara, you and I both know that she didn’t exactly reject you last time. We both know that situation was entirely too complicated for any 20-year-old to deal with. Besides, I know how much you have grown these past few years. Chances are that Lena has also grown a lot too. Don’t you think you owe it to each other to see what’s there now?”

Kara stares at the phone, both thankful for Alex but also a little frustrated with just how logical and rational she is being right now. It makes it hard for Kara to argue with her. Deep down, Kara knows that Alex is right about this. She lets out a sigh as she relents.

“Thank you for talking through this with me.”

“Of course, you know I love you. Keep me posted on your… adventures today.” Kara can hear the smirk on her sister’s face.

“Love you.”

“You too sis.”

Lena wakes up the next morning and is disappointed when she looks at her phone. She tries not to dwell on the fact that Kara hasn’t responded yet by focusing on the tasks at hand. Today she has several meetings at Luthor Corp before she gets to spend the afternoon in the lab working on one of her new projects.

While in the shower, Lena tries to focus on anything but Kara. It’s difficult, knowing she is so close, yet oh so far away now. She purposefully doesn’t touch her phone again until she is leaving for the office. She answers several emails on the way to Luthor Corp, and barely greets her assistant as she hands Lena a coffee. Lena knows she is being short but can’t find it in herself to care right now.

Lena is in between her morning meetings when she starts debating whether she should call Alex and yell at her for giving her this idea. After all, Lena was blissfully unaware of Kara’s presence until she called. Lena could have gone on that date with Jack last night and had a wonderful time. But no. She had to know about Kara being here, in New York, and so all her mind kept going back to was Kara.

Lena picked up her phone, about to call Alex, just as a text message arrived. Lena stared at the name for a minute, before finding the courage to open it.

_Kara: It’s good to hear from you Lee. I’d love to meet up. I’m in town today, but I do fly out tomorrow morning. Would you be available for lunch or dinner today? I am doing some site seeing so I can be flexible, as I am sure you are very busy at Luthor Corp._

Lena reads and rereads the message, trying to decipher the unsaid parts of the message. Kara flies out tomorrow. So, this was just a trip. But why here, why now. That seemed so specific. Plus, the way Alex wouldn’t tell her why Kara was here makes her even more suspicious.

Lena takes in a deep breath as she types a response, hitting send and then rushing off to her next meeting of the day.

_Lena: I can meet you for lunch today. My last meeting ends at 1:00pm. Where should I meet you?_

Lena has a difficult time focusing on the matter at hand in her last two meetings that day with her mind continually wondering to Kara. Her brain has been flooded with memories and emotions that she has tried very hard to ignore these past few years. When she finally makes it back to her office, she notices it is a little after 1:00pm already. she checks her phone as she grabs her bag and heads out the door. On her way out, she makes sure to tell her assistant to take the rest of the day off, with full pay. Her assistant’s jaw dropped, but she didn’t question it. Lena knows she is supposed to be working in the lab this afternoon. But she also knows that lunch with Kara is more important. She needs to see this through.

_Kara: I’m currently wandering around Time Square taking in the sights. There are plenty of places to eat as long as you don’t mind slumming it with your middle-class ex._

Once in the car, Lena instructs the driver to drop her off in Time Square, an odd request for the Luthor. It brings about a skeptical look on his face, though he doesn’t comment on the destination.

Lena stares at the message. She can feel the hint of irritation coming from the message. It’s strange. Kara has known since shortly after they started dating that her family is very wealthy. So why is that an issue now? Is it because she has taken on a role within her family? Does Kara think she has changed that much?

Lena bites the inside of her lip as she types out a reply.

_Lena: No problem at all. In fact, I believe there is a local Pizzeria that might be quite enjoyable. I can send you the address. I am heading that way now (my last meeting ran a little long). I will be there in 20._

Lena knows her response is very formal. But now… now that she is actually going to see Kara, she is scared of coming off too informal. She knows what she did three years ago. She knows she broke both of their hearts that night. But maybe now, here, she could try to put some of the pieces back together.

Lena’s driver announces that they are almost there as her phone beeps again.

_Kara: I got us a table in the back._

As she exits the vehicle, she can feel her anxiety rising. Her heartbeat quickens, her breathing hitches. She barely remembers to take a breath in and let it out as she walks the short distance to the pizzeria. Just outside, she takes another breathe in and lets it out slowly as she pulls the door open and makes her way inside and towards the back.

Kara sees her from the moment she steps inside, taking in the curled hair today, so different than the straight hair she wore last night. Kara wanders if she did this on purpose, whether Lena remembers that Kara used to tell her that she always looked so much more relaxed when her hair was slightly curled. Kara isn’t sure why, but this version of Lena was always her favorite. Despite the three pieces business suit that Lena is wearing. This, well, this part is an entirely different version of Lena that Kara isn’t sure she knows.

She stands up as Lena approaches. She can’t help but smile when she sees Lena smiling at her. “Hi, Lee.” Perhaps instinctively, Kara goes in for a hug. She has always been a physically affectionate person. Even now, with this new Lena, she has a strong urge to wrap her up and never let go. Lena melts into the hug, though it is brief. “Hi Darling.” The nicknames come out naturally for both.

As they sit down across from each other, the awkwardness instantly fills the space between them.

Lena is staring at Kara, unabashedly, like she is seeing a ghost. Kara clears her throat. “So… how have you been Lena?” This works, breaking Lena from her trance. “How have I been?... I’ve been doing well. For the past year I have been running my own division at Lcorp, which I took over after finishing college.”

“I can’t believe you finished college so quickly. I mean, yes you were in advanced courses, but you never seemed that interested in classes in school.”

Lena half-smiles. “They were boring. College was a lot more challenging.”

“Well, we both know you like a challenge.” Kara smirks, settling back into some of their easy banter.

“I mean, I did date you after all.” Both women chuckle at the comment. And just like that, it’s like they are taken back to three years prior, when life was simpler, and breathing was easier.

“So, Alex never told me what brought you to visit New York.” Lena is afraid to phrase it as a question, afraid to learn the truth and be disappointed.

Kara’s eyes fall to her own hands as she nervously picks at her nails. “Um… well…”

At that moment, the waiter comes up to take their orders. Kara appreciates the reprieve, but knows she needs to just tell Lena and see what happens.

After the waiter takes their orders and walks off, Lena gives Kara an encouraging smile. “You were saying?”

“Um… yeah… right… I am in New York because… I was auditioning for the New York City Ballet Company.”

Lena’s eyes light up with excitement. “Oh my god, Kara, that is amazing! They are the best in the country.” Kara can’t help but blush from the praise. “So how did it go? Will you be joining their ranks?”

Kara’s face lights up. “Yes, I was offered a position yesterday.”

“That is such amazing news Kara! Have you celebrated this momentous news yet? Because if not, we need to go get you a cake, right now.”

Kara laughs at Lena’s antics, though she is pretty sure Lena will buy her all the cakes if she lets her. “No no… we celebrated last night at 21 Club, all of us in the company together.” Lena freezes. Kara’s eyes go wide, realizing what she just did.

“You were at 21 Club, last night?”

Kara’s train of thought was a series of expletives.

“Um… yeah.”

Lena takes in Kara’s sudden drop in demeaner, the realization dawning on her. “Oh god, you saw me there with Jack last night, didn’t you?”

“Um… yeah.” Kara looks up at Lena though she keeps her head down, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lena runs back through their text conversation.

“So, the comment about slumming it… that was because you saw me having dinner at some big fancy place last night.”

“Yeah… I just assumed you had taken on that lifestyle since coming back here, like your parents wanted…”

Lena eyes her carefully. “And?” She asks. She can tell Kara wants to say more. “And…. Look, Lena, it’s none of my business who you are dating. I don’t really have a right to ask about that.”

Lena leans back in her chair. “Kara. Do you really think I’ve changed that much? That I would just become the kind of person who casually dines at a place like that?” Kara opens her mouth to respond but then shuts it again, contemplating her answer. “No… I guess not. I think I was more surprised by my own reaction of seeing you again.”

“And what reaction was that?” Lena has always been the more direct of the two. Kara would dance around her own feelings all day if Lena let her.

“I didn’t like seeing you with that man… Jack was his name?” Lena nods. “It felt… wrong. Which I know is insane. It has been three years. That’s longer than we actually dated! I just… I guess seeing you brought up some feelings I had covered up a long time ago.”

Lena gives Kara a small smile as she digests the slew of words that just bumbled out of Kara’s mouth. “Kara, Darling. Do you know what I was thinking about at dinner last night?” She waits for Kara to shake her head from side to side. After she does, Lena reaches out and puts her hand on top of Kara’s. The warmth radiating off even just Kara’s hand is magnetic. “I was thinking about you. Your sister called me less than 30 minutes before I was to leave for my date with Jack. And all I could think about was the implications of you being here in New York.” Lena takes her hand back, afraid that if she didn’t, she would end up trying to actually hold Kara’s hand. And she wasn’t sure that Kara would want that.

As she leans back again, Lena says, “It was our first and only date, for the record.” She gives Kara a sly smile, causing Kara’s face to redden very quickly. Kara had still been focusing on the fact that Lena’s hand was touching hers to process much else of what Lena had just said. Kara is saved, as the food comes out and she takes the opportunity to dive into it. Lena smiles knowingly as she takes a small bite of her own plate.

It’s half-way through their food that it dawns on Lena what it means for Kara to be accepted into the dance company.

“Wait a minute…” Kara raises her eyebrow at Lena to show she is listening as she takes another giant bite of food. “You are joining the NYC Ballet Company. Does that mean you are moving here, to New York?” Kara swallows her food, almost whole in her hurry to answer Lena. “Um… yes.”

“When?”

“I start in a month, so… as soon as I find a place.”

“Wow.” Lena is genuinely surprised. She never thought Kara would ever again be in the same city as her, let alone living there. Kara smiles at her, her cheeks still flushed.

“Well, what are your plans the rest of the day?”

Kara eyes her suspiciously. “Um… I was just going to explore some more.”

“What if we go look at apartments? I have a relator for Luthor Corp who I am sure can set up some showings this afternoon.”

“Don’t you have to go back to work Lee?” Lena smiles mischievously and winks. “Perks of being the boss.”

Several hours later, Lena’s driver pulls up to her penthouse. “Come on, I have one more place to show you.” Kara follows excitedly. As they enter, Kara sucks in a breath, “Lee, there is no way I could afford this place.” Lena laughs hard. “Oh Darling, this isn’t for rent. This is my place.”

Kara’s eyes, still wide, take in the penthouse again, this time searching for signs of Lena. She sees it in the paintings chosen on the walls, a blend of contemporary and abstract. She notices the coffee pot on the kitchen counter, despite the lack of any other appliances. It must be Lena’s most used kitchen appliance, Kara is sure.

“Would you like to order some dinner?” The question is innocent enough, but Kara knows Lena. She knows there is something behind the offer for dinner.

“Are you sure I’m not overstaying my welcome? I mean, you spent all afternoon showing me apartments around New York. I don’t want to be an imposition.”

Lena walks up and puts a hand on Kara’s shoulder, staring deeply into her eyes. “You, Kara Danvers, are never an imposition.” She then turns and makes her way to the kitchen, pulling out two bottles of wine.

“Now, red or white?”

Kara laughs as she nods to the white wine. Lena pours them each a glass and then invites Kara into the living room. “How about Chinese for dinner? I’m guessing your love of pot stickers hasn’t diminished over the years?”

After Lena orders the food, she kicks off her shoes and makes her way to the couch. Kara follows suit, though she sits on the other end of the couch. “So… only one date with Jack huh?” Lena smiles as she responds. “Indeed. He is a new business partner who asked me out.” Kara hums in response. “What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

Kara nearly spits out the wine she had just sipped. She immediately starts stuttering and stammering while she laughs at herself. Lena reaches out again, putting a hand this time over top of Kara’s like at the restaurant. “Kara, it’s ok, take a breath.” She follows Lena’s instructions and finally finds her words. “No. The answer is no; I am not dating anyone.”

“Are you sure?” Lena asks with a smirk on her face as she takes her hand back. Kara is quicker though and reaches out as Lena’s hand is being withdrawn. She intwines their fingers. “You can’t keep doing that.” Kara slides closer so both of their arms are more comfortable. Lena doesn’t comment, just stares in awe as a flood of electricity surges through her body.

“Lee… do… do you think… with us being in the same city again… that we could… try again?” Kara finally gets out her question, the one that has been holding her mind hostage since she knew she was moving to NYC. She doesn’t know why, but Lena seems to make her braver. The memory of their first kiss flashes through her mind.

Lena gently squeezes Kara’s hand. “I want to. I need you to know first… Kara… I know I let you down. I promise it isn’t like that now… This time, I’ll never let you go.”

“You promise?” It’s soft, unsure, almost like a wish to a falling star.

“I promise.” Lena says it with conviction as she pulls Kara in for a hug. She knows deep in her soul, in her own being, that three years ago, they needed to let each other go. She also knows that now, here, they have another chance. And she has no intention of blowing it again.

Two months later…

“Darling, I’m home.” Lena lets herself into the tiny one-bedroom apartment on the rent-controlled side of town. She spots Kara coming out of the bedroom, already in pajama pants and a tank top. “Hi Lee.” She pulls Lena into a hug and kiss, resting her forehead against Lena’s. “I’ve missed you.” Lena smiles brightly. “You saw me this morning.” Kara turns, taking Lena’s hand in her own and guiding them to the couch. “And that was so many hours ago. It’s practically bedtime.”

Lena chuckles. “You know it’s only 7pm, right?” Kara falls onto the couch, pulling Lena down with her. “I danced for nine hours today. I’m tired.”

“Too tired for a song?” Lena asks playfully as Kara sits up straight on the couch. “Never.” Lena smiles as she walks over to the corner of the apartment and picks up the guitar from the stand and carries it back to the couch. She plays a few chords and tunes it. “My first new song in over three years. It’s called I Will Be.” Lena takes a breath as she starts to play and sing.

_There's nothing I could say to you_

_Nothing I could ever do_

_To make you see what you mean to me_

_All the pain, the tears I cried_

_Still you never said goodbye_

_And now I know how far you'd go_

_I know I let you down_

_But it's not like that now_

_This time I'll never let you go_

_I will be all that you want and get myself together_

_'Cause you keep me from falling apart_

_All my life I'll be with you forever_

_To get you through the day_

_And make everything ok_

_I thought that I had everything_

_I didn't know what life could bring_

_But now I see, honestly_

_You're the one thing I got right_

_The only one I let inside_

_Now I can breathe cause you're here with me_

_And if I let you down_

_I'll turn it all around_

_'Cause I would never let you go_

_I will be all that you want and get myself together_

_'Cause you keep me from falling apart_

_All my life I'll be with you forever_

_To get you through the day_

_And make everything ok_

_'Cause without you I can't sleep_

_I'm not gonna ever ever let you leave_

_You're all I got_

_You're all I want_

_Yeah_

_And without you_

_I don't know what I'd do_

_I could never ever live a day without you here with me_

_Do you see? You're all I need_

_And I will be all that you want and get myself together_

_'Cause you keep me from falling apart_

_All my life (my life) I will be with you forever_

_To get you through the day_

_And make everything ok_

_I will be (I'll be) all that you want and get myself together_

_'Cause you keep me from falling apart_

_And all my life you know I'll be with you forever_

_To get you through the day_

_And make everything ok_

As Lena strums the final chord of the song, she looks over to see Kara with a giant smile on her face. “Lee, that song is amazing.” Lena’s face turns a slight shade of red. “I wrote it for you.”

Kara smiles even wider as Lena sets the guitar down and pulls Kara in for another hug. “Thank you for giving us another chance.” As they pull away, Kara places a loving kiss on Lena’s lips. “Thank you for texting me when I was too chicken to do it.” The two women kiss again, though they are also smiling so it is a bit messy and silly.

As they pull away, Kara relaxes onto the couch with a joyful smile. “It’s your turn to pick the movie.” Lena gives Kara a kiss on the forehead as she stands back up and heads to the bedroom. “I’m going to change. You know which movie to put in.” Kara smiles, happiness coursing through her as she puts in their favorite movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking this ride with me. It was a fun story to write, despite the angst in some chapters. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> Until next time friends. <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> I might have an idea for a follow up short-story, so let me know if you want more! :)


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